D51-691 Steam Locomotive

Preserved D51-class steam locomotive on outdoor display in Kyoto — a surviving example of Japan's most-built railway workhorse from 1936–1975.

The D51 class was the most numerous steam locomotive series ever built for Japanese National Railways: 1,115 units were produced between 1936 and 1951 for mixed passenger and freight service on main lines. Affectionately known as Degoichi, the class was a workhorse of Japanese industry and transportation for four decades, with the last examples retired in 1975. This preserved example, D51-691, is displayed outdoors in Kyoto and can be examined up close — a tangible relic of a period when steam power drove Japan's postwar recovery. A quietly fascinating stop for railway history enthusiasts or anyone curious about industrial Japan.